Farmers, the regional council and the Southland rural community owe much to Balfour farmer Aaron Wilson’s efforts to work more closely together to ensure dairying remains a sustainable, vibrant industry in the region.

Despite tough seasons, dairy farmers have stepped up and made significant progress on meeting their environmental commitments to New Zealanders, according to a new progress report on the Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord.

A recent review commissioned by DairyNZ may surprise you at just how effective wetlands can be at preventing contaminants from reaching waterways. DairyNZ water quality scientist Aslan Wright-Stow explains.

The intense storm system that hit Bay of Plenty back in 2004 was the catalyst to prompt Opotiki sharemilkers Jared and Sue Watson to seriously reconsider their farm system, the environment they operated in and their own farming expectations.

Agriculture will rely on continued support from both industry and Government for emerging mitigation technologies if it is to meet long term emissions reduction necessary for New Zealand to transition to a low emissions economy, says DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle.